


The Guild Needs A Rename (It's Kinda Obvious)

by HisaHiru



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Crack, Gen, How Do I Tag, Humor, M/M, MMORPG(?), Online Gaming, Team bonding (kind of), but it was there if you squint, no actual romance on screen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-15 11:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3446150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HisaHiru/pseuds/HisaHiru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>StarSpangledBoy0407: A robot, Tony? rly?<br/>STARKs4wesom3: freedom of choice. StarSpangledBoy0407, Cap? rly?<br/>StarSpangledBoy0407: Other’s taken. Then again, Freedom of Choice<br/>STARKs4wesom3: u just had to tag independence day there</p><p> </p><p>In which Steve decides to try his hand in gaming, the other is not really helping but actually does, JARVIS is a good teacher and a certain someone is there in the end (but ended up running away again).</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Guild Needs A Rename (It's Kinda Obvious)

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if anyone has written something like this... Is there one out there?  
> Oh, this is my first attempt on Avengers Fandom. I'm not really a newbie in this fandom when it comes to reading, but writing is on a whole new level.  
> I'm actually kind of hesitated to post this... 
> 
> But anyway, this work is unbetaed so any mistakes you find inside is entirely my fault (sorry, english is not exactly my mother language... but I'm trying, really).  
> Enjoy

Steve had spent around one full hour in front of his laptop (Tony’s laptop, but he kinda gave it to Steve… Asked JARVIS to give it to Steve, actually). He got JARVIS to teach him how to operate it (mainly how to turn in on and off) and some basic commands to get everything to work.

He was on his break, doing nothing but laying around inside his living quarter in the Avengers Tower. Tony was away for the moment, doing something about business chores in France with Pepper. Despite his protest, Steve noticed how Tony’s eyes went brighter by the time Pepper said she would accompany him there.

Spending time with your loved one was always a pleasant thought.

Though, Steve didn’t bother to look for a reason for Tony’s sudden mischievous and naughty smirk when Pepper whispered something to him.

It wasn’t his business.

No, let him repair that a bit.

He didn’t want to make it his business, thank you.

As for the other, Bruce was once again disappeared from the map. S.H.I.E.L.D spared no effort to look for him; Steve guessed the said organization had no need for the doctor at the moment. Nothing could hide from S.H.I.E.L.D’s watchful eyes when they went for a hunt-…

Well, nothing but Hydra, apparently…

Oh, the Irony… Thinking that Hydra had been doing more than ‘sneaking around’ inside of S.H.I.E.L.D and nobody realized it…

Either all of them are blind or Hydra was just too good with covering their track (or wearing a mask, pick your choice).

Steve preferred the later, but somehow the former seemed closer to the truth. C’mon, Hydra was practically tickling S.H.I.E.L.D’s under the chin but nobody batted an eye.

Thor was in London, visiting Jane Foster and her friends. What else he did there; it was all his business, as long he made no commotion. The guy deserved a break after everything and Jane seemed to give him what he needed. Natasha and Clint were away, none of the agent thing as far as Steve knew, but then again what did he know?

Maybe they were on a vacation (yeah, right…).

Maybe they were slitting someone’s throat as he was thinking right now. Nothing he could predict for sure.

“Captain Rogers, do you require any help?” JARVIS’s voice broke the silence.

Steve was startled for a moment but he immediately relaxed. “ No, thank you. I’m fine for now, JARVIS,” he said fondly. Why couldn’t Tony learn a little about manner for JARVIS, sometimes Steve wondered.

If he had a choice, he would happily leave his room for his morning run (a routine he did day after day with Sam by his side) and some training in the gym. But it appeared Tony had planted a strict order in JARVIS not to let him step his foot outside nor the gym; he wasn’t even allowed to visit the pool.

The confrontation with Doom bots two days ago left him with one sprained ankle, three cracked ribs, a couple second-degree burns and heavily bruised body (he also got a concussion but it had been settled yesterday). It wasn’t like the battle was all that hard (he had had worse, the Chitauri had been one for an example) but accident happened.

Lets just say that fighting 5 robots all at once without his shield wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to perform. Remind him next time to make sure, real sure, that the scream actually came from a civilian.

Not a-…

He still wanted to slap his own face, hard, at least once again.

Things would be awkward next time he faced Dr. Doom. Really awkward. At least for him.

“Need I remind you, Captain, how much I regret to inform you that I cannot let you leave your quarter no matter how polite you ask me to?” JARVIS once again spoke to him, sounded a bit regretful if it was even possible.

“No, I understand, JARVIS. I need my rest, I know that…” Steve bit the inside of his cheek and tried to smile but clearly failing.

Maybe it was a good time to catch up with some things he missed while he was being preserved inside the ice. Like Leonardo Di’Caprio in that movie-… Titanic, he remembered.

Though the guy sadly wasn’t as lucky as him.

“Captain, Sir had mentioned that he wished for you to at least take a quick look at the game he talked with you one week ago.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at that statement. “The game? What ga-…? Oh-… Oh, the one that requires internet connection to play…?”

“It appears that was the one Sir was talking about.”

“Oh… Um, I’d like to… But, well, I’m not really good at games and such… Especially if it has to do with… modern technology,” he wasn’t lying. He knew that Tony and Clint played the said game for quite a while, and from how they kept talking about it Steve could easily guess that they enjoyed it very much.

Even Natasha played it; something about losing a bet with Clint (how is that even possible, Steve had to ask the guy later) and being forced to join him and Tony. Bruce was the next one on the list to get dragged into their party and he surprisingly stayed with no complain.

Thor followed not long after. Despite knowing so little about human’s technology, he learnt quickly and spent lots of time in front of his laptop (again, Tony’s gift).

Now he was the only one left.

“I would gladly provided any help you require, Captain Rogers,” JARVIS politely reminded Steve of his(?) early offer.

“Well, I…” Steve thought about it for a second. He got nothing to lose, might as well try now than asking Tony himself to guide him. He got a feeling that JARVIS would be a better, more patient and gentle, teacher than Tony. “Um… I’d appreciate it, JARVIS.”

“You can start by double clicking that icon on the desktop, Captain. The one entitled ‘Paradox Regalia’ at the upper left corner.”

Okay, Tony had obviously planned this. So this was why he persistently asked Steve to take the laptop even though Steve already had one. He thought it had to do with the brand (Tony hated Apple, everybody knew that) but apparently there was more.

“Okay, opening it now…” Steve double clicked the icon and waited as a window opened, showing him a page with some empty boxes.

“You have to create an account first to enter, Captain,” the AI told him. Steve at least knew how to do this; he got a Facebook already so of course he knew this step-… Yeah, Natasha taught him how back then (Steve could still feel the friendly sarcasm right under his skin).

He finished in a matter of minute. “Am I in now…?” he muttered, quite unsure of his work.

“You’re in now, Captain. Now, you need to create an Avatar.”

“Avatar…?”

“An embodiment you take to proceed through the game.”

“Oh… Um… Okay. Can you help me here, JARVIS?”

“Certainly.”

JARVIS did most of the work, explaining to Steve where he had to click and what he had to type. Steve considered some of the advice JARVIS gave him and sometimes offered his own opinions to consider. It was quite fun, he hadn’t even start playing but the time he spent up until now was worth it.

In the end, an avatar that suited him was created (more toward his appearance than his taste, but then again he wasn’t complaining). JARVIS presented him a human male (the AI told him he could become a female like some people but the idea kind of disturbed him) with muscular but quite lean body shape, blue eyes and blond hair.

“What class would you like to take, Captain Rogers?”

“Class…? We have to learn-…?” Steve was taken quite aback. He thought game was supposed to be another kind of relaxation option. Now he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to proceed.

“It was another way to say a specific job you want to take in the game, Captain.”

“Oh…” he blushed slightly. JARVIS knew how to keep secret so one or two stupid things to say would be okay… Maybe. “A job? Well… what kind of jobs do they offer?” better ask now that start saying something he might regret again later.

JARVIS opened a page for him to observe while he explained one thing after another. There was lots of class for him to choose. A mage sounded quite interesting, though after JARVIS explained the pros and cons of the said job Steve found himself looking for another option.

There were also a thief (no, stealing people’s stuff was wrong), a cleric (healing people was a good thing), a warrior (Thor would pick this one, no doubt), a clown (what kind of job was that again?), an archer (Clint put his mark here, Steve was sure), a monk-…

Okay, there were a bit too many options.

“If I may give you an advice, Captain…?”

“Yes?”

“The class of a Warrior might suit you. If you level up your character and fulfilled the requirement, you can evolve him into a more advanced class like a Paladin, which in my opinion might suit you better than any other class provided.”

“Okay, a Warrior it is then…” Steve decided, more because of confusion but he didn’t say it. He appreciated JARVIS help, really. “And now… a name? Can I input my own name?” he did when he created his Facebook account.

“You may input your own name, but it wouldn’t be advisable.”

Steve bit his lower lip and grinded his brain to think. “Um… Will this be okay, then…?” he typed ‘ShieldBoy’ into the box. Tony would laugh at him for this. The box shook and the color turned red when he pressed enter. “Wha…? Did I do something wrong?”

“The name has been taken by someone else. You have to input a different name.”

“A different name?” How inconvenient. But then again, he was quite surprised someone actually used such a cheesy name before him. He inputted another name again and again until ‘StarSpangledBoy0407’ allowed the box to go green. “Does this mean this name is accepted?”

“Well yes, Captain.”

Thank God, now it was over. Time to jump straight into the game-… But of course there would be tutorial. Steve didn’t really like tutorial but he realized how much he needed guidance. It would also make JARVIS’s job slightly easier if he knew some basics about the game without him explaining things over and over.

The tutorial took about 15 minutes and he got a bonus item from completing it. ‘Patience is a virtue’ and Steve smiled at the thought. And now, the first thing he had to do was to complete a mission-… A quest. Right.

It wasn’t really hard, the quest he took provided enough description for him to go by. He watched every important point and requirement from every quest he accepted and proceeded forward after buying things he might need later.

The times flew by quickly but Steve didn’t even realize it. He took a break from the game, having leveled his character up to level 10 in 4 hour, and limping out slightly out of his room to grab something to eat from the kitchen. Tony provided a kitchen he could use in his floor and greatly appreciate it. He whipped something quick and devoured it, cleaning the whole plate.

He went back straight to the game after cleaning the dishes. Now he knew exactly why Tony and Clint were obsessed with it. It was a whole lot of fun and now Steve was wondering why it took him to long to try it. Still, better late than never.

‘StarSpangledBoy0407’ left the Quest Board in the Town Hall and went to the Market District. Buying stronger equipment was a huge help; JARVIS had explained that it would increase his status greatly if he picked the right equipment to wear.

A stranger who went by the name of ‘AgentStillAlive01’ suddenly approached him.

 **AgentStillAlive01** : Trade?

Oh…? He was making an offer for a trade. It wasn’t that Steve wasn’t grateful, he did, but he also realized the lack of things that would be appropriate to present to the other guy.

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : Um… I appreciate it

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : But I don’t have anything to trade

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : Sry

The guy kept asking him to trade, no matter how many times Steve refused. Fine, then. Steve clicked the accept button and the trade screen was opened. He could see the items ‘AgentStillAlive01’ possessed and wondered exactly why he wanted to ask for an exchange-… He got everything!

And now he knew Steve owned nothing worth much.

The guy typed something on his chat screen.

 **AgentStillAlive01** : Got healing potion?

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : Healing potion…?

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : Yes, but it’s not much

 **AgentStillAlive01** : Can I have some?

So the guy needed a healing potion. Well, Steve could spare some for him; he got more than enough for himself. But still, why would the guy asked him for healing potion when he would buy it from the item store for cheaper price? It wasn’t like Steve would actually priced a charge, he would gladly give them for free if anyone needed it.

And judging from his level, Steve doubt it would help him healing even a scratch…

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : Sure

 **AgentStillAlive01** : Can I ask for 8?

Steve owned about 20 in his bag, giving 8 wouldn’t hurt him in any way. He dragged the said item toward the trading box and pressed the TRADE button. He waited for a moment for the items to be sent to ‘AgentStillAlive01’s’(still a strange way to refer to someone, Steve frowned slightly) box.

What he didn’t expect was that the moment the items arrived at its destination, a set of legendary equipment arrived in his own box. He gapped like a breathless goldfish, was about to send the set back when the trading screen got closed all of a sudden. ‘AgentStillAlive01’ended their trading session; Steve couldn’t believe it!

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : Wait!

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : I think you made a mistake!

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : The equipme-

The avatar he was stared at suddenly disappeared. Steve gasped and watched the screen dumbly. ‘AgentStillAlive01’had logged out. Unbelievable.

“What should I do now, JARVIS?” Steve didn’t know what to do. He wanted to return everything but where?

“You may as well put the equipment on, Captain.”

“But its-…”

“You can ask to trade it back if you encounter the said person again, which I may say is quite unlikely. For now, rather than leaving the equipment in vain, you may as well use it for good.”

“… Okay… But next time we see him, we’ll return it.”

“Of course, Captain,” JARVIS might roll his eyes at this moment if he had an actual form, Steve wouldn’t be surprised.

Feeling a bit guilty, but what could he do, Steve opened his equipment page and wore the set he just got. Usually such thing would require a certain level to allow the character to wear it, but from what JARVIS told him, the equipment he received just now was a limited edition kind that had no level requirement to wear.

Limited edition… Which had to be bought with actual money. Lots of actual money, it didn’t look cheap in any way. Now Steve felt even guiltier than before. But what happen happened; he couldn’t change that. So he suited up anyway.

He finished a couple more missions, going through much easier path with his equipment practically blocking every damage possible. The weapon, which was also included, sent his enemies to the underworld in one simple hit. Amazing.

 **STARKs4wesom3** : You’ve got to be kidding me

 **STARKs4wesom3** : Look who’s here!

 **STARKs4wesom3** : Welcome to the party, Popsicle~

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : … Tony?

 **STARKs4wesom3** : The one and only

Why was he not surprised? STARK is Awesome…? Who else would pick such a name? He explored the screen and found who he was looking for. A red and gold robot with huge built, a ReaVER was the race name if he read it right before. The shape and form just screamed ‘I’m amazing and you can’t deny it’, which was once again was just like Tony.

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : A robot, Tony?

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : rly?

 **STARKs4wesom3** : freedom of choice

 **STARKs4wesom3** : StarSpangledBoy0407, Cap?

 **STARKs4wesom3** : rly?

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : Other’s taken

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : Then again, Freedom of Choice

 **STARKs4wesom3** : u just had to tag independence day there

 **HawksCool4evah** : Hey there, Cap~

Steve furrowed his eyebrow and typed. He thought he was being too obvious, but apparently his friends were none all different. And really, their names were as cheesy as his, no comment.

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : Clint?

 **HawksCool4evah** : Cool name there

 **HawksCool4evah** : I’m on ur right, btw

There he was. An elf with a bow… An archer? No, Clint has played the game longer than anyone, around the same time as Tony, which was pretty long. From the equipment he wore, Steve guessed he was an advanced class. A Hunter.

Steve got a feeling that Clint had to bear with Tony and being the butt of his joke. But really, he was practically asking for it. An elf. With a bow. He spent enough time watching TLOTR to know the references. He had had enough with that Legolas joke, though. He was more into Aragorn-… Not in that way.

 **BigH4MMERrulezz** : XD

 **BigH4MMERrulezz** : :D :D :D

 **BigH4MMERrulezz** : ^_^

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : Thor…?

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : He’s been like that since he discovered emoticons

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : Nice to see u, Cap

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : … Dr. Banner

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : Lose a bet

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : Tony picks the name

Steve tried to ignore the name and spared the effort to find his remaining companions. Thor and Bruce stood next to each other next to the fountain near the Quest Board. Thor was a human Warrior, just like Steve had predicted, who wield a huge axe on his back-… Wait. An axe, not a hammer?

Bruce’s appearance stole Steve’s breath for a moment. It wasn’t like he looked bad, everyone got a preference and this one just shocked Steve… a bit. Bruce picked the Beast race. His Avatar’s body is huge and furry, obviously, complete with a set of animal ears and tail.

From observation of his equipment, Steve made a mental note to JARVIS how it was possible for a Beast to pick a Priest (advanced class from Cleric). But it suited Bruce just fine, the class, not the race of course. With him being a doctor and all…

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : There’s no hammer?

 **BigH4MMERrulezz** : :(

 **BigH4MMERrulezz** : T_T

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : strongest weapon we found for Gladiator

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : can find only axe

 **HawksCool4evah** : Rocking equipment you have there

 **STARKs4wesom3** : u steal it somewhere, Cap?

 **STARKs4wesom3** : daddy’s disappointed at u

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : don’t u have a meeting 2 attend, Tony?

 **STARKs4wesom3** : I’m on my break

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : btw, how did u guys find me anyway?

 **STARKs4wesom3** : JARVIS~

Steve sent a quick look to the ceiling (where else would he look at?) and put his ‘seriously?’ face. “I was under strict order to inform Sir about your very condition and…” it was as if the pause meant that JARVIS was trying to find a better word to describe what he want to say. “Progress, Captain Rogers.”

Now he sounded like he was being ridden with guilt. Great. Steve couldn’t bring himself to give a good scold, let alone staying angry, to the AI. How did Tony manage to install various kind of tone for his AI to use, Steve wondered.

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : where’s Natasha?

 **LKeBlkW1dowBBY** : Here

 _Like a Black Widow, Baby._ Steve decided not to press the matter at hand. But seriously, that was unexpected. And he thought Bruce would be the biggest shock of the day.

Natasha’s avatar was a Dark Elf; he could notice that from the greyish color of their skin. But her class… She picked a Dark Wizard, an advanced class from a Mage. Steve knew there was a job that actually mirrored her real job in here; he saw it when he browsed the class list before.

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : Not Assassin?

 **LKeBlkW1dowBBY** : Suit my taste better

 **STARKs4wesom3** : Maleficent here made her choice

 **STARKs4wesom3** : don’t question her, Sleeping Beauty

 **LKeBlkW1dowBBY** : watch ur back, Stark

 **STARKs4wesom3** : ouch

 **STARKs4wesom3** : Wicked Queen can’t take a joke

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : enough, Tony

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : Cap, u wanna join the guild?

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : guild?

JARVIS took his time to explain the idea of a Guild to Steve. Basically, it was like a group of person working together. Like the Avengers. They were creating a fantasy Avengers, a bunch of guys; and girl; inside one misfits group without an evil one to fight-… Wait, the monsters were considered evil, right?

Might as well join. Advantage in numbers, Steve knew it better than to go alone into the enemy territory.

Bruce sent an invitation to Steve’s inbox. ‘ **NFb0ybandzz** ’… What a strange Guild name, but Steve knew there were even crazier name out there he would find later on. But wait… NF… Nick Fury? Nick Fury’s boyband-…? He would as for a rename if it was possible.

Steve accepted the invitation and he officially became a member of-… of ‘NFb0ybandzz’. The name seriously bothered him.

 **STARKs4wesom3** : How bout we do quest 2gether?

 **STARKs4wesom3** : 2 welcome Popsicle

 **BigH4MMERrulezz** : \\(^0^)/

 **HawksCool4evah** : won’t his level be too low?

 **STARKs4wesom3** : he’ll survive

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : equipment can do only so much

 **STARKs4wesom3** : we’ll play the knights 4 his princess

 **STARKs4wesom3** : no prob, right?

 **BigH4MMERrulezz** : “>(^-^)<”

 **HawksCool4evah** : what’s the emoticon mean, anyway?

 **LKeBlkW1dowBBY** : he’s excited

 **HawksCool4evah** : obvious

They ended up agreeing that Steve was to come with them on their Guild’s quest. Rather than finishing the whole thing alone, the quest required them to gather up and clean up the mess together. Not everyone was needed but the more the merrier, and the loots were worth it.

Steve asked JARVIS’s help to read the quest description to him while he followed the other to the portal. It was different than the one he used to rush to; this one would send him to higher leveled dungeon where one enemy meant about 10 of his usual targets. He started to doubt his decision to tag along but they were halfway there already.

There was no way he would back down now.

“The members were required to kill the Hydra, a Mythological Serpent Monster that took resident inside the Lerna Swamp,” JARVIS explained to him. Killing Hyrda… How different was this from his real life? At least this time he got his companions-… his friends by his side. The last time he was quite outnumbered, to be truthful.

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : u not gonna ask where I am now?

Bruce private chatted him. Steve smiled gently as he typed, knowing exactly what Bruce wanted him to say; and that was exactly what he felt and intended to say.

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : u have ur reason

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : happy enough knowing ur safe

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : safe enough to play round

The doctor sent no immediate answer but Steve knew that wherever he was, Bruce was smiling at his response. Apparently, he was right. Bruce typed something and sent it to him not long after.

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : yeah, it’s safe enough

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : won’t complain for a cleaner shower, though

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : that bad, huh?

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : better than nothing

It couldn’t be that bad, Steve knew it was more than manageable if Bruce could actually found a connection strong enough to play an online game. But then again, the guy was a genius and Tony’s friend. There was always a way.

They proceeded through the dungeon. The formation had been decided, with Steve settled on the middle and the other rounded up around him like blanket. Steve felt like a burden for quite a while, doing nothing but trotting around. But as the time went by, he noticed that his level had been increased real fast.

The monsters his friends’ killed gave him lots of experience points even though he spared no effort to help them. He decided to join the fight not long after, still struggling a lot but Bruce never let him go for long without healing him up. Bruce was literally glued himself to Steve and watch his health carefully, showering him with healing magic whenever his health bar depleted even just an inch.

He wasn’t the type to take a risk, especially when it was related to the life of his friend.

Well that sounded a bit too much.

It was a game, but yeah… A friend is a friend anywhere.

Steve managed to kill an enemy all by himself without wasting his life too much at a certain point. He could hold his own weight now, not for long but at least long enough for other to take care of their own problem. He could at least stick with Natasha as he chanted her spell on the back row and provided a bit help to keep the enemy at a certain distance.

 **STARKs4wesom3** : kay, we’re close now

 **STARKs4wesom3** : can sniff the smell

 **BigH4MMERrulezz** : [_( ‘ ¸ ’ )_]

 **HawksCool4evah** : pumped full of spirit already

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : u sure we’re ready for this?

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : its 2 late 2 go 2 the bathroom, right?

 **STARKs4wesom3** : now or never, baby

Without a battle cry; only some music on the background setting up the mood, the whole party jumped straight toward the boss residence and took their stance.

Steve had to bit his lip and squirmed in his seat (he was half laying on his bed with his laptop on his lap actually). While the Hydra in his life wasn’t exactly the cuddliest thing he ever encountered, the one in the game looked more menacing in every kind of way.

What it lacked without arms and legs, it made it up with its huge form and fangs. The dripping liquid on the tips could only be descripted as poison. And of course, one head was never enough for a Hydra. He knew that Hydra was being gifted with more than one head, but he still thought 10 were a bit too many.

He actually had a second thought about this.

Did that make it a third thought?

 **BigH4MMERrulezz** : _(O)-(O)_

 **STARKs4wesom3** : Okay, so it was bigger than expected

 **STARKs4wesom3** : well damn

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : I know we should’ve prepared more

 **HawksCool4evah** : Yeah, good job Stark

 **HawksCool4evah** : suicide mission

 **STARKs4wesom3** : SO IT’S MY FAULT NOW, LEGOLAS??

 **LKeBlkW1dowBBY** : here it comes

And so the battle began. This was not a good idea to begin with. But right now, especially for Steve, this was a really bad idea.

The Hydra had 10 heads and there were only six of them, which meant some of them had to fight two at once. Steve got one to chop down but he was fighting in a losing battle now. Bruce was having his hand full with his own attacker, he got only a chance here and there to fill Steve’s leaked life bar.

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : don’t let the head grows back

 **STARKs4wesom3** : Any idea how?

 **HawksCool4evah** : burn the stump, that’ll slow the recovery down

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : Natasha

 **LKeBlkW1dowBBY** : I’m on it

Tony managed to severe one of the head and burnt the bloody end with his fire skill (exactly what was Tony’s class, Steve had to ask later). Natasha chanted a spell to enhance their weapons with fire, which made their job easier, before calling out a stronger fire spell to kill their enemy.

Clint let his arrow flew one by one, hitting the mark every time without fail. The serpent’s head shrieked and fell after a while. The Hunter wasted no time, quickly launched himself toward the falling enemy and slashed the head clean with his flame-induced knife.

Thor, having more than enough experience as an Asgardian to fight such an enemy, fought (more like wrestling) against the foes without mercy. The Gladiator had lots of HP; he could take more than the normal amount of beatings before falling from exhaustion or empty life bar. He fought two heads in one battle, knowing no defeat against the two of them.

Steve managed to survive, thanks to Bruce’s extra effort to keep Steve and himself alive until the end of the battle.

 **STARKs4wesom3** : Two more to go, guys

 **HawksCool4evah** : hell yeah!

 **LKeBlkW1dowBBY** : Clear the way

Everyone, or maybe just Steve, watched in awe how Natasha finished her spell and a huge portal appeared above the Hydra’s remained head. Flaming meteors rained down and hit the monster hard, burning its whole body win hot dancing flames. The sound of its pain echoed inside the whole area, piercing every listening ear.

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : Is it over?

 **STARKs4wesom3** : Heck yeah we rule!

 **BigH4MMERrulezz** : “\\((^O^))/”

 **HawksCool4evah** : kay there, big guy

 **HawksCool4evah** : think u can stop with that emoticon shit?

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : it’s over…?

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : um… where’s the loot and exp., then?

 **STARKs4wesom3** : … what??

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : loot and exp.

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : Oh no

 **LKeBlkW1dowBBY** : STEVE!

Okay, this was bad. Real bad.

Steve took the warning a bit too late. One of the head that was severed not long ago took its time recovering. By the time the other two had been burning to black carcass, it has managed to finish forming itself back. Steve glanced toward the enemy behind him and didn’t have enough time to dodge the coming attack.

His health had been depleted below half of its original state. A sudden attack without a change to guard would guarantee an instant kill, especially from such a big and high-leveled enemy. Steve gritted his teeth and waited for the moment his character hit the ground with a resounding thud.

But the moment never came.

Instead, right in front of his Avatar stood a man in black armor, blocking the attack of the Hydra. An Assassin. A human Assassin with deadly sharp-clawed iron gauntlet on his left hand protected him from an incoming attack.

 **STARKs4wesom3** : the fuck?!

 **HawksCool4evah** : Who the hell?!

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : … can anyone kill it now?

 **LKeBlkW1dowBBY** : the assassin?

 **007HulkingOUTlol** : the Hydra

 **LKeBlkW1dowBBY** : on it

Natasha chanted another spell, a weaker one, and launched a huge fireball at the Hydra one last time. The flame burnt the serpent, weakening it enough for Thor to kill it for good. The monster screamed out loud and crumpled down to the ground and bestowed huge amount of exp. to every participant in the battleground.

Steve was still stunned, not knowing what to do with his Avatar. The Assassin was still there, standing like he took his job protecting him seriously until the very end. He got an exp. too even just for blocking the one last attack, which was supposed to kick Steve’s ass.

 **H41Lwintershield** : u okay?

What…? Oh, he asked Steve…? Steve’s fingers fumbled over the keyboard as he typed.

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : yes

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : thanks for the help

 **H41Lwintershield** : sure

And as fast as he came, he went and disappeared. Steve was still lost for words. Had he meet the guy somewhere…? It was just a game, yes, but somehow… the presence brought a certain kind of familiarity. Was it just he imagining things?

 **HawksCool4evah** : I could hear the American baby singing

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : What?

 **HawksCool4evah** : nothing

 **STARKs4wesom3** : thinks gay marriage exist in the game?

 **STARKs4wesom3** : want me to pull up some strings?

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : guys, c’mon

 **BigH4MMERrulezz** : That was a real brave action to take

 **BigH4MMERrulezz** : the man is worthy

 **HawksCool4evah** : AT LAST, THOR

Steve shook his head and sighed, a smile still plastered on his face as his friends filled the chat screen with words after words. He joined Bruce to pick some of the things the dead Hydra dropped. There were some items that could be used by him or a Paladin (he thought about JARVIS’s advice and decided to pursue that class).

He stopped for a moment when there was a private chat arrived. He checked his private screen and saw a name appeared before the sentence he gave his full attention to.

 **H41Lwintershield** : add me as friend?

Steve grinned and let his fingers danced on the keyboard.

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : sure

**H41Lwintershield wants to add you as Friend. Accept?**

With no doubt, Steve clicked yes.

 **H41Lwintershield** : any trouble, chat me

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : okay, same 4 u

 

\--0--

 

 **StarSpangledBoy0407** : okay, same 4 u

The Winter Soldier stared at the screen in front of him; his fingers hovered above the keyboard. StarSpangledBoy0407... what a weird name. But yeah, he kinda liked it.

It suited _him_ just fine.

He remembered more, even just a slightest bit, about the past and learnt more about the present. But even with everything he knew and had now, running free from Hydra’s clutch and trying to live his life as a man in hiding, he couldn’t help but sometimes missed what he could only touch in his memory.

Steve Rogers would always be there.

If he couldn’t watch over him here, he might as well try to start it from the cyber world. A slow start meant lots if he kept moving forward. Well, a start was a start by any other name.

His ears managed to pick a low shuffled sound. It was almost undetectable but he could hear it clear enough to know it was time to move. The threat is still quite far, but an early start would be the best choice. A man like him could stand in one place for so long before those guys found his trail.

He packed up everything, ready to leave his hideout but not before typing one last thing and logged out.

 **H41Lwintershield** : be safe

 **H41Lwintershield** : with u til the end of the line

Winter Soldier-… James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes bit back a tiny smile and wiped everything clean. Today would be a new day; everything was looking up already.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's all... for now?  
> I may write more but it depends... If you like this, I may continue with another story/sequel. But then, if not, I think I'll stick with reading for a bit longer.
> 
> Thank you for reading~


End file.
